Samsung Medical Center said Sunday that it was considering moving Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee to a general ward from an intensive care unit as his health appeared to be improving. The hospital also said in a statement that the cardiac procedure for Lee went very well, and that he is currently stable.  A hallway in the VIP ward on the 20th floor at Samsung Medical Center. (Kim Young-won)　The statement came after rumors went viral last Friday that the chairman had passed away after an online medi

　18일 삼성서울병원이 이건희 삼성그룹 회장의 건강에 대해 회복 중이라는 공식 입장을 발표했다. 　병원 측은 “모든 검사 결과가 매우 안정적이고 완만하게 회복 중”이라고 밝히며 “조만간 일반 병실로 옮기는 것도 검토하고 있다”고 전했다. 삼성서울병원 20층 VIP 병동 복도　한편, 이건희 회장이 묵을 일반 병실은 20층에 위치한 VIP병동으로 예측되고 있으며, 2002호부터 2009 호까지 약 8개의 병실이 있다고 알려져 있다. 20층으로 가는 모든 통로는 일반인에게는 통제되어 있다.　VIP병실 방문객은 전용 엘리베이터로 이동하거나 중앙 엘리베이터를 타고 20층을 올라가 내부의 허락을 받고 VIP실로 들어 갈 수 있다. 본관 지하 1층에 VIP 주차장이 위치하고 있으며, VIP 전용 엘리베이터와 바로 연결되어 있다.   주차장에는 5~6명의 보안요원과 관리인들이 일반인들의 출입을 통제하고 있다. 　해당 주차장에는 이건희 회장이 심장시술을 받은 11일부터 홍라희 여사, 이재용 부회장,

삼성 이재용 부회장이 16일 오후 6시 20분경 자신의 에쿠스 차량을 타고 비서진과 함께 이건희 회장이 입원해 있는 삼성서울병원을 빠져나가는 모습이 본지에 포착 되었다. 급히 차를 타고 나가는 이재용 부회장은 평소와 다름이 없이 담담한 모습이었다. 당일 오후 한 인터넷 상에서 “이건희 사망”이라는 루머가 퍼지면서 이부회장과 가족들의 행보가 집중 조명을 받고 있는 터라  그의 표정은 언론의 관심을 끌기에 충분했다. 삼성서울병원 VIP 주차장에 세워져 있는 삼성 일가 자동차들 (김영원 기자)삼성서울병원 20층에 있는 VIP 병동 복도 모습 (김영원 기자)삼성의 한 관계자는 이날 있었던 이건희 회장 사망 루머에 대해 “말할 가치도 없는 내용이며 잘못 된 추측으로 쓴 글,” 이라고 밝혔다. 이 부회장은 매일 삼성서울병원을 들러 아버지인 이건희 회장의 상태를 확인 하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 일반 병원 방문자가 이용하는 주차장과 통로가 아닌 VIP환자와 가족을 위한 공간과 엘리베이터를 따로 사

Korea’s three mobile carriers are set to face off in a fierce race to attract and secure customers as SK Telecom and LG Uplus resume operations next week after business suspensions for doling out excessive subsidies.KT, the No. 2 player, has been the only one operating since April 27, and has successfully attracted subscribers away from its competitors.The company saw some 194,000 customers, or around 11,000 a day, switch to its services during the 17 days since it restarted its operations.This

Line characters in Hong Kong (Naver)Local Internet giant Naver has opened a pop-up store in Hong Kong featuring products of characters from its Line mobile messenger. The company said the store is the fifth of its kind overseas after Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. “The long lines in front of the shop to buy Line’s character products show the rising popularity of Line and its characters in Hong Kong,” a Line spokesperson said. “The popularity now matches those in Japan, Thailand and Ta

Character merchandising used to be a business belonging to traditional content producers with established retail distribution channels, such as Disney and Warner Bros.That is no longer the case, thanks in part to mobile and software technology that has allowed everyone, including mobile messaging services, to break into the character business both online and offline.KakaoTalk and Line, Korea’s two biggest mobile messaging services, are bringing their unique and funny characters from their chat s

Internet giant Google made the Asian debut of its streaming stick, Chromecast, in Korea on Tuesday.The device-to-TV casting dongle, priced at 49,900 won ($48.80), enables smartphone or tablet PC users to watch YouTube videos or movies purchased on the Google Play application platform on TV screens, the company said. Casting to the TV is currently only available on certain applications, including local streaming services Tving and Hoppin, but Google plans to expand its collaboration with other co

LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo stressed the importance of fundamentals at work during a seminar with executives on Tuesday. His comments came at time when safety concerns, raised by the recent ferry disaster, have swept the nation. “We must pay the keenest attention to the fundamentals while doing businesses to detect any negligence in safety or quality,” the chairman told the top executives of LG’s affiliates at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.  LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo“If the company be

Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee was taken off life support Monday, as the business mogul recovered from heart surgery.Samsung Medical Center said that Lee had begun breathing normally without life support.“Lee was taken off of ECMO at 8:30 a.m. as his heart function has been restored. He has been in stable condition so far since the removal,” the hospital said in a statement. ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, provides oxygen to patients whose heart or lungs have failed to work. Pe

Google said Monday that the Korean market would continue to play a critical role in the growth of its Google Play platform. “Korea is one of the most important markets, as it is in (the)top five nations with the largest number of developers for Google Play,” Jamie Rosenberg, vice president of Google’s digital content, said at its first Google Play event for partners and media in Seoul. The vice president added that the number of Koreans developing apps on Google Play had tripled during the past

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics CEO Choi Jin-kyunDongbu Daewoo Electronics, a local consumer electronics maker, said Monday that it has appointed Choi Jin-kyun, a former Samsung Electronics executive, as its new CEO. Before joining Dongbu, Choi had served as vice president of Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics unit for three years since 2006. “We have gained a foothold in the consumer electronics market since acquiring Daewoo Electronics last February. With the new CEO, we aim to take our curre

A Samsung Electronics worker inspects a photomask engraved with chip patterns at the firm’s new chip plant in Xian, China, which started operations Friday. (Samsung Electronics)Samsung Electronics was named the third most preferred employer in the world, according to a Dutch research firm Friday. In an announcement for the Randstad Award 2014 report, which ranks the most attractive companies among job seekers, Randstad said Samsung came third among the eligible 50 firms, following German carmake

Samsung SDS, an information technology services affiliate of Samsung Group, announced Thursday that it would push for an initial public offering this year in a bid to raise more capital to finance its global expansion.The move is also likely to speed up the succession of power to Samsung heir apparent Lee Jay-yong, who holds a significant stake in the company, industry watchers said. “In order for Samsung SDS to become a global ICT services firm, we decided to file for the IPO. We will make utmo